


lavender and sage

by madokami



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, WITCHES AU, also pretty much everyone else but those are the main ones, lowkey nicomaki and second years ot3, rewrite of the original fic! much better now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-11
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-07 18:59:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6820234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madokami/pseuds/madokami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanted dead by her own kind, young witch Nozomi Tojo has always had to live in secrecy. Believing she could escape her coven and live a normal life, she fled from her home and started anew. However, other witches like herself soon come out of the woodworks, as well as those who wish to see her burn, and they will do whatever it takes to see this happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The White Witch

**Author's Note:**

> hello! a few months ago I started writing this story, but I kind of abandoned it. I didn't however, abandon the idea, and since then have improved the story into more than just a short nozoeli fic (believe me, this is definitely gonna be nozoeli, but now with more plot).   
> sooo yeah! I hope you enjoy this! I wrote everything on my iPhone and I have no beta so sorry for any typos!

_**Chapter Zero** _

  Heavy breaths echo throughout the dark forest as a figure weaves it's way through the seemingly endless trees. The figure– a young woman– struggles to keep her pace up, one hand clutching her skirt to keep from tripping over the fabric and the other holding a lantern that flickers with every step she takes. Her long violet hair bounces behind her, snagging against branches and slowing her slightly.

  In front of her runs a small black cat, almost invisible in the darkness of the woods if it weren't for the lantern. The creature is several feet in front of the woman, it's speed much faster than hers. One could assume the woman is chasing the cat, until it slows it's pace and looks over its shoulder.

  "Nicocchi," the woman pants, obviously struggling to keep up with the animal. "Please slow down, or I will lose you."

  At this, the cat fully comes to a halt. It turns around, and in the flickering lamplight, it's form flickers too until in its place stands another girl. She walks up to her taller companion until they are only a few inches away from eachother.

  "You," she says, jabbing a finger into the woman's chest to accentuate her words. "Are the one who said we need to hurry. Which we do."

  "I know, I know." The first girl says, a small smile on her lips despite her still heavy breathing. "We've just been running so long, it's starting to take its toll on me."

  The smaller girl sighs and steps back, leaning against a tree. She looks cautiously around, searching for any danger. The forest sounds as any forest would, with the sounds a night birds and crickets filling the air.

  "Fine, Nozomi." She says, her ruby eyes glinting in the minimal light. "But get ready to haul ass the second you hear one thing out of place."

  "How considerate Nicocchi is." Nozomi smiles, leaning against a tree herself to catch her breath. She sits in silence for a few moments, staring around her before she sighs sadly. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Nico. You had so much potential, and your family..."

  "Shut up." Nico says sharply, stepping forward once more. "You _are_ my fucking family. My siblings will be fine. You know I'd die before I'd let you run away on your own."

  Nozomi glances up, a sad smile on her face as tears form in her eyes. Nico isn't her real family, but the two were as close as sisters. They grew up together in their coven, the two of them being witches. However now, they are on the run from the very place they called home.

  Every witch is born with basic powers, the ability to cast spells. However, they are also born with their one special power the reveals itself at young age. For some, such as Nico, it could be the ability to transform into an animal. For others it could be healing powers, or control of fire. The list is endless. However Nozomi was born with a much more interesting power, the power to see the future.

  Nozomi is what is known as a White Witch, one of only three in existence. White Witches, despite their name, are omens of disaster, having abilities to alter fate as they see fit. It is said that the combined power of all three of these witches could bring an end to all existence; the ability of seeing the future, the ability to resurrect someone from the dead, and the ability to control time itself.

  Her mother taught her to keep these powers a secret, and even after her death Nozomi continued to keep them hidden away. However, the coven began to grow suspicious, as every other witch her age had shown their special power. Soon, they gave her an ultimatum: if she does not show her true powers by her eighteenth birthday, she would be burned.

  With her birthday rapidly approaching, Nozomi knew her only option would be to run. She plotted with Nico for weeks, and in the dead of the night, the two gathered only a few belongings, just the important things, and all the money her mother had left her. What they thought would be an easy escape, however, turned out to be a run for their life. The leader of their coven had somehow found out of her attempt to flee, and had sent the coven's finest fighters after the two.

  A few minutes pass as Nico and Nozomi catch their breath before a cold gust of wind blows out the lantern. The atmosphere is much colder than Nozomi remembers, and all the forest life is deadly silent. The two girls look around, their guard up, but it's too dark to see anything anymore. Just as Nozomi is about to cast a quick spell to revive the flame, a loud screech sound from behind her.

  "Nicocchi, run." She says quickly, her tone icy.

  Before she knows it, Nico is back in her cat form, speeding off into the darkness. Nozomi takes off after her, abandoning the lantern in her haste. Part of her regrets the decision, and soon the rest of her does as well when her foot catches on a branch, sending her falling face forward.

  "Nico!" She gasps, but she cannot see her friend anymore. Behind her, she can hear the sound of hundreds of beating wings, and she quietly says a prayer that Nico at least gets out of this alive. Closing her eyes, she's ready to accept her death when she hears Nico's voice shouting a spell, and she opens them again just in time to see the small girl send forth a powerful blast of blast of energy. She doesn't see the attacker, but she knows the spell is strong enough to keep it rooted for the time being.

  "Come on, get up, we need to go!" Nico all but screams, frantically tugging on Nozomi's arm to get her to her feet.

  It doesn't take them long to continue on their unknown path, running faster than ever to escape their pursuer. Several minutes pass and the sound of wings are never heard, but they don't stop until they see moonlight ahead, and stumble across an empty road. The two stop momentarily to catch their breath, but do not dare to let their guard down.

As she clutches a hand to her chest, Nozomi's vision is suddenly filled with light. She catches a glimpse of blonde hair, and can feel the ghost of fingers against her skin. Her face feels warm and vague happiness blooms inside of her, but before she realizes the vision is gone.

  "I know that look." Nico says. "What did you see?"

  "I-it's nothing." Nozomi murmurs, shaking her head. "We're going to be okay, let's keep moving."

  Nico simply nods, and with that the two set off down the road, ready to restart their lives.


	2. One: Gasoline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is probably the longest chapter of anything I've ever written ever
> 
> hello again I am back and actually pretty quick wow. imma address some headcanons I have in this: eli is super tall and toned af and nozomi is cute and chubby and nico is nico. also eli speaks someone broken english (japanese technically???) in this bc she's hella russian so any grammar mistakes regarding her dialogue are intentional! 
> 
> umm that's all I can think of I hope you enjoy :,)

  
**Chapter One**

"Burn the witch..."

The words are moaned softly from all around her. Although the hundreds of hooded figures stand their distance from her, Eli feels their icy breath on her neck as if they were merely an inch away.

She doesn't know where she is. The barren land stretches on endlessly. The skies are a dark grey and a gentle fog coats the dying earth beneath her feet. Surrounding her are the people– at least she thinks they are people– all wearing black cloaks that obscure their face. In the center of them, before her, sit three more figures instead wearing cloaks colored a pure white.

"Burn the witch..." The whispers continue, and Eli finds herself slowly walking towards the three figures in white. "Make them suffer for their sins."

In her hand is a flaming torch, it's warm glow harshly contrasting the dull scenery surrounding her. She can't remember when she picked the object up, or how it even came to rest in her grasp in the first place. She doesn't stop to question it, in fact she can't make her feet stop moving at all. As she inches towards the three figures, she realizes the other two have completely disappeared, leaving only one in the center.

The person in white kneels before Eli, their head bowed. Her hands move on their own, bringing the torch towards the figure in front of her. Right as the flames meet the white fabric of the cloak, the person's head raises. Eli just catches a glimpse of ocean green eyes and the gentlest smile she has ever seen before flames engulf the person and Eli screams.

She sits up with a jolt, her heart pounding and the scent of burning flesh still in her nose. The dreary scenery and hooded figures are gone now and Eli finds herself laying on her couch. She looks around in the dull lamplight to see she's back in her new apartment, and it finally clicks in her head that she was dreaming.

"So cold..." She murmurs in her native tongue, frowning at the chill that envelopes her body.

She shivers, and notes that her legs (which are slightly too long for the couch and awkwardly hang off the other side) are completely bare. Her blanket had been tossed across the living room in her sleep, and she wonders just how bad of a nightmare that had to have been for her to thrash like that.

With a yawn, she raises her arms above her head in a good stretch before swinging her legs off the side of the couch and landing on her feet. Normally, she would start her morning workout by now, however all of her exercise equipment remains packed up. She looks around the room again, frowning at all of the boxes littering the space. She had just moved into the apartment a day ago, after all.

Eli had lived in Russia with her grandmother and sister most of her life. Her parents were always too busy to take care of her and Alisa, so her grandmother became more of a mother to her than her own mother was. However, she never had many friends growing up. Most people were intimidated by her, and even when they weren't, she was usually too introverted to approach them herself.

After graduating high school, she made the spontaneous decision to move to a different country. She was never one to do things on impulse, but for some reason every ounce of her being pled her to do so. After saving up the money and taking the time to learn the language, she eventually found herself on a plane headed to her new home.

Shivering again, Eli wraps her arms around her body as she weaves her way through boxes to find the thermostat. Despite the notorious low temperatures of her home country, she never liked the cold, preferring a nice warm blanket over the snow any day. She sighs in relief when the heat kicks on, only then returning her attention to the mess in her living room.

"So much stuff to deal with," Eli complains to herself as she leans back against the wall. "I wish these boxes would unpack themselves."

A couple of hours or so pass as Eli sets to work with the boxes. The sun has already crept up, peeking through the blinds and casting lines of pale light across the apartment. With a grunt, she turns to examine her work. There's still a few boxes left, but she decides they can wait until later.

It's about 8 am now, she notes, and decides now would be as good a time as ever to finally get her grocery shopping out of the way. The past couple of days she had been living off of tap water and delivery, putting off having to go out into town as much as she could. It doesn't take her long to toss on an outfit and throw her hair up in its usual messy ponytail before she grabs her keys and wallet and sets out the door.

~~~

"Damn it," Eli curses under her breath, trying to make sense out of the directions she had downloaded on her phone.

Of course she would get utterly lost on her first trip out. She had tried her best to take mental notes of every corner she turned, but it didn't take her long at all to lose track in the labyrinth of streets.

Part of her wants to panic, but the rational side of her tells her to simply ask for directions. The latter however, intimidates her more than it should. Especially with so many people, she isn't even sure who she would pick out to guide her. Perhaps she could try her phone's GPS once more...

"Excuse me, miss," Eli is startled from her grumbling as a gentle voice speaks up from behind her. "Are you lost?"

She spins around, and feels her heart immediately drop. The woman who stands before her is shorter than she is (although not many women she meets do stand taller), with long, dark purple hair tied in low twintails that gracefully fall over her shoulders. She wears a floral sundress and a light cardigan, perfectly accentuating her curves. However, the thing Eli notices the most are her eyes; a rich, sea green.

Just like the ones from her dream.

"A-ah..." Eli stammers, staring dumbfounded at the girl in front of her. "Y-yes! I am."

She cringes inwardly at her awkward display, but the girl doesn't seem to mind. In fact she only offers a warm smile, and Eli feels a chill run down her spine. Again, just like the smile from her dream.

"It's okay, the streets are pretty confusing." The girl has a gentle voice, and Eli could almost say it's comforting. Like a mother's voice. "Where are you trying to go? I could guide you there."

"I am, um, trying to get home." Eli says carefully, trying to translate her words in her head. She unlocks her phone, showing the girl the screen. "I live in these apartments. Forgive me, I only recently moved here."

"Don't worry about it." The girl giggles. She leans forward, examining the screen, then her eyes light up. "What a coincidence. I happen to live there as well."

"Really? That is..." Eli trails off. Normally she isn't one to be superstitious, but the conveniency of the situation combined to the girl's eerie similarity to the one from her dream has her heartbeat picking up. "That is great. Thank you."

"It's no problem at all! I just have to pick something up, if you wouldn't mind accompanying me, then we can head home." The girl giggles again, her smile angelic. "My name is Nozomi by the way."

"E-Eli." Eli mentally slaps herself for being awkward again. "My name is Eli. It is pleasure to meet you. I-I mean _a_ pleasure."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Eli." Nozomi says happily as she starts walking, motioning for Eli to follow. "If you don't mind me asking, what country are you from? I can't seem to place your accent."

"I'm from Russia," Eli murmurs, falling into place with Nozomi. "I lived in Moscow most of my life with my sister."

"Mm. Do you miss it?"

"Not at all." She stares forward. "I hated it."

"Sooo," Nozomi draws the word out, turning to look at Eli with her emerald eyes. "What made you decide to move to this little old town of all places?"

"No idea," Eli smiles softly. "I was just... drawn to it I suppose."

Soon they approach a small shop that appears to sell different teas and herbs. Eli patiently waits outside while Nozomi shops, but it doesn't take the violet haired girl very long to get what she needs. Soon enough, she emerges from the shop with a small bag in her hands and smelling of flowers.

Afterwards the two walk to the bus stop. Nozomi is kind enough to pay both of their fares, even though Eli protests at first. They take spots near the front, and Eli is grateful to finally be able to set her bags down, even if just for a moment.

Nozomi is good company, Eli notes, and for once in her life she actually finds herself enjoying talking to someone. She learns several new things about her companion while they chat, such as Nozomi being only a few months older than Eli is, and that she has been living in this town for about two years now. She also learns that the girl is keen on telling fortunes, and always carries a deck of tarot cards whoever she goes. She offers to tell Eli her fortune, but the blonde turns down the offer for another time.

"Hey," Nozomi's voice startles Eli from her thoughts. "The apartments are this way, silly."

"Oh!" Eli chuckles softly, realizing she had been walking the opposite direction of where she is supposed to. "I can't believe I already forgot."

"You better remember for next time," Despite her words, Nozomi's voice is teasing. "I may not be there to help you."

Eli chuckles again, and the two walk in silence for the rest of the distance to their apartments. It's not an awkward silence like she's used to, though, but a comfortable silence, as if she's known the woman her entire life. She steals a glance at her purple haired companion, and can't help but feel a small smile form on her lips.

"Hey, hold out your hand for a moment." Nozomi says as they stand in front of the building.

Eli raises an eyebrow, does as the girl asks. Nozomi digs in her purse for a moment before pulling out a pen and proceeding to write something on Eli's hand.

"This is my apartment number, you should come over some-"

She pauses, frowning and knitting her eyebrows together all while still holding onto Eli's hand. Eli gasps slightly, not used to seeing such an emotion on the woman's face. She wonders if it were something she did, but she can't think of anything that could've happened in the past few seconds.

"Something is wrong?" She asks carefully, looking around to see if there could be anything suspicious that would have concerned her companion.

"Nothing it's just..." Nozomi trails off, staring intently at Eli's hand for a few moments. She closes her eyes and shakes her head, as if trying to clear it. "Do you smell gasoline?"

"No... I do not." Eli is slightly confused, but doesn't push the matter.

"Ah, it's fine." Once again Nozomi is back to her usual contented expression. She finishes writing what she needs to on Eli's hand before giving it a pat and letting it go. "As I was saying, you should come over sometime, you know, just to hang out. Maybe even tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Eli frowns slightly. "I still have so much to unpack but... Alright. I can come over tomorrow."

"That was easier than I expected." Nozomi laughs lightly. "I will see you tomorrow. Is noon okay?"

" _Da_." Eli nods, turning so she can start walking to her apartment. "Noon. I will see you tomorrow then, Nozomi."

"Until we meet again, Elicchi."

~~~

As Nozomi walks back to her apartment, she can't stop replaying the vision she had over and over again in her mind. The moment she had touched Eli's hand, she was in gilded in the scent of gasoline, and the image of roaring flames clouded her sight. She doesn't want to believe Eli and the vision are connected, but she can't deny that it was triggered by their contact.

Still, she doesn't want to just avoid the woman because of that. In fact, maybe getting close to her could help her figure out the meaning behind the vision. All while getting to spend time with such a beautiful–

"Oh hey, the tits are back."

Nozomi's thoughts are interrupted as she's met with Nico's voice. The smaller girl sits in the middle of the living room floor, painting her toenails an obnoxious shade of pink. Nozomi stands in the doorway, just now registering that she had made it home. Frowning slightly, she shakes her head to clear it.

"Hello, Nicocchi." She says calmly, closing the door and walking to the kitchen. She is careful to step around her roommate, and even more careful not to knock over and spill the nail polish. "I hope you're not getting that all over the carpet, otherwise I'd have to punish you."

"Ugh." Nico doesn't even bother to look up. "I'm not. Stop being weird."

"Hmm." Nozomi chuckles, setting a kettle on the stove and turning the heat on. "I met a pretty girl today."

"About time." Nico switches to the other foot. "What's she like?"

"Ah, she's tall and blonde and she's got an adorable accent, but she's sort of shy." Nozomi explains as she begins to take the contents out of her shopping bag, a few boxes of tea, and sets them on the counter. "In fact, I invited her over tomorrow."

"Whoa, hey, hey, hey, hey." Nico looks up, turning to Nozomi and giving her a stern look. "You sure that's a good idea? I mean, like, what if she finds out? Or something."

"There's nothing for her to be suspicious of." Nozomi says, returning the gaze. "I feel like we've integrated into society rather well."

"I mean, you've got your little shrine all out in the open and stuff." Nico, motions towards the shrine in question, a small table containing several different spiritual items. "Even if she doesn't think you're a witch, she'll definitely think you're hella weird."

"I'm not concerned." She can understand why Nico is worried, though. If anyone they don't want finding them finds them, then it could be certain death. "You must've forgotten my... _stunning intuition_."

"Go ahead and do it if you're going to do it." Nico sighs, returning her attention to her toes.

Nozomi closes her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate on the future. It's not something the likes to a lot, and normally her visions come to her randomly and unexpectedly. Despite her love for fortune telling, she normally doesn't like to know what's going to happen in the future, and would much rather leave it as a surprise. However, at this moment she's too curious, wanting to know if inviting Eli over could potentially turn out disastrous.

In her minds eye she's sitting in the living room. Next to her she sees Eli sitting somewhat awkwardly, smiling and petting a black cat– that's Nico, Nozomi thinks. But before she can press the vision further, the smell of gasoline and the image of fire overwhelms her again, this time accompanied by the sound of hundreds of people shouting. Nozomi cries out, stumbling backwards, but the screaming does not stop.

"Nozomi!" Nico shouts, jumping up. "What happened? What did you see?"

"A-ah." Nozomi collects herself, and realizes the screaming she hears is just the kettle whistling. "Fire. Nothing but fire."

"The burning of the witch..." Nico murmurs, then glances down at the floor to see she had spilled the bottle of nail polish in her panic. "Oh, hell."

"Someone wants me to burn." Nozomi says quietly, taking the kettle off of the stove. "Nicocchi, if I were you, I'd quickly clean that up."

Her hands shake slightly as she prepares her cup of tea. Two years she had lived here without incident. Why is she getting visions of her demise now? And what does Eli have to do with this?

She sighs, drumming her fingers on the countertops and Nico brushes past her to wet a bundle of rags in the sink. Whether or not Eli is her personal assassin, and Nozomi prays that she isn't, she will find out what she can tomorrow.

Until then, she can only wait and replay the image of her death in her mind.

 


End file.
